Deadline: September 14, 2013
Applications are now accepted for the Bush Institute 2014 Women’s Initiative Fellowship. The Fellowship is a year-long program that begins with five weeks in the United States. It is designed to enhance the leadership skills of women around the world. The purpose of the Fellowship is to empower and equip women to become effective leaders. Fellows develop leadership skills, exchange expertise, learn to advocate for social stability, and build civil society.
As part of the overall leadership program, the Fellows will travel from Dallas, TX to additional cities in the United States, including Washington, D.C., New York City, and California’s Silicon Valley. In addition to the city visits, the Fellows travel to mentors for one-on-one training and more intensive preparation. Each Fellow is paired with an appropriate mentor in her specific sector.
During the final week in the United States, the Fellows reconvene in Dallas to share ideas and stories, to debrief, and to finalize personal action plans. The Fellows identify existing projects or create a new project to empower women. After the Fellows return home, follow-up work commences through regional meetings, distance learning opportunities, and technical assistance.
The Women’s Initiative Fellowship is designed to achieve the following goals:
- Provide opportunities and training that helps equip each woman for success as a leader in her field
- Provide training that aids each woman in developing the tools necessary to enlarge her knowledge, expertise, influence, and impact to her personal network and the larger network of women leaders created by the program
- Create a dynamic and effective global network of women leaders
- Strengthen civil society through the work of the Fellows and their network
- Convene regional follow-up meetings and activities for continued training and support
- Publish a book showcasing the Fellows and their work, best-practices, activities, and achievements
- Track career progression of Fellows
- Help facilitate strong mentoring relationships between Fellows and local women in their communities
Eligibility
Ideal candidates are leaders or “rising stars” who desire to improve their community and country. Women who meet the following qualifications are eligible to apply for the Women’s Initiative Fellowship:
- Possess Tunisian passport
- Must be at least 21 years of age
- Possess at least a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or are currently enrolled in a University
- Represent one or more of the following vocational sectors:
- Education
- Health
- Business/Economic Development/Entrepreneurship
- Civic Engagement and Public Service
- Media/Journalism
- Law
- Demonstrate sufficient written and spoken literacy in English
- Ability to be interviewed in-person or via telephone
The Women’s Initiative is thrilled to announce Tunisia as the country of focus for the 2014 Women’s Initiative Fellowship. Due to the structure of the program, only Tunisians are invited to apply for the 2014 class.
Benefits of the Fellowship
What you can expect to gain from the Fellowship:
- Valuable leadership skills that help transform your community and country
- Five weeks in the United States to meet with key leaders and thinkers as well as four regional training sessions in the year that follows the U.S. portion of the Fellowship, with all travel, lodging and incidental costs paid for by the George W. Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative Fellowship
- Leadership curriculum specifically designed for the Women’s Initiative Fellowship
- Introduction to the use of technology and social platforms such as Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
- A personal mentor with expertise that best matches your skills and talents (assigned for one year)
- An introduction to executives at leading companies (examples include: New York Stock Exchange, Google, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, U.S. State Department and more)
- Certificate of Completion based on full participation of the Fellowship
- Ongoing support through in-country training, seminars, and sustained participation in a growing global network of leading women
Fellows’ Responsibilities
What will be expected of Fellows:
- Commitment to spend five consecutive weeks in the United States from March 4, 2014 – April 8, 2014, and commitment to obtain all necessary travel documents for the five week stay in the United States
- Bi-weekly conversations with assigned mentor
- Mandatory attendance of in-country seminars in June 2014, August 2014, October 2014, and January 2015 & graduation in March 2015
- Development of a personal action plan and reporting of monthly progress update
- Report quarterly progress for at least five years following completion of the Fellowship
- Commitment to build networks of leading women in your home country
- Participation in a Women’s Initiative Fellowship Alumni group
For more information, click here.
